A queue had formed at the exit gate of a hospital in Nigeria. The exit barrier needed to be swiped before exit. The machine was said not to be functioning and so the exact time spent could not be ascertained. A driver who felt outraged by such a service failure insisted on getting to see the boss. Other drivers in the queue became impatient and tempers began to flare.
A disruptive passenger is one who does not obey safety or security instructions and displays threatening or abusive behaviour. Though our driver above may not belong to that category, how an airline or airport handles a challenging situation can make or mar the customer experience.
Disruptive passengers can cause delays as well as disruptions to flight. They may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other reasons are anxiety, jet lag, and even the fear of flying can heighten tension on board.
Disruptive passengers can threaten the safety and security of the aircraft, other passengers and crew. They may cause physical, mental and emotional harm to other passengers and crew. Disruptions in operations such as delays and diversions could be a source of inconvenience to other passengers.
IATA states that for the first half of 2022, based on reports from international airlines, the rate of reported cases of unruly passenger incidents was slightly worse at one incident for every 833 flights. Physically and verbally abusive behaviour were reported in 7% and 14% of incidents, respectively.
Though these incidents are not frequent place, there is a trend of increasing frequency and severity of unruly passenger incidents the data suggests. This is a cause for serious attention by all stakeholders in the industry including governments as the world faces uncertainties going forward in the face of global headwinds caused, first by the pandemic and now, by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Cabin crew team (cabin crew wings.com) gives suggestions on how to deal with difficult passengers: Respond in a calm and quiet manner if there is an issue that might be resolved by moving passengers. This it suggests as worth considering. Some others are: apologise and steer the conversation, ask for advice from other cabin crew, show compassion, refuse alcohol to anyone who is visibly intoxicated while maintaining composure and staying polite but firm.
Where passengers are stressed due to delays or cancelled flights which have disrupted their travel plans, helpful advice about what to do at the airport after landing will be soothing.
Being kind to exhausted parents can mean a lot to them both in flight and at the airport terminal.
Notifying the cockpit is a last option when all else fails. And if a passenger becomes excessively unruly during a flight, pilots can inform police who will be waiting at the destination airport to deal with the problem flyer before disembarkation.
The Montreal Protocol of 2014 has recognised the need to close the jurisdictional gap in the Tokyo Convention of 1963. State of scheduled landing has the necessary jurisdiction and may deal with unruly passengers under their own laws irrespective of where the aircraft is registered. There is the added option that, also, the state of the operator can exercise jurisdiction.
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